


Though I Have Closed Myself As Fingers

by niklitera



Series: Nobody, Not Even the Rain, Has Such Small Hands [6]
Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: (there's also a kiss or two), Canonically Transgender Character, Domestic Wye, Fluff, It's all so domestic, Like a lot of flufff i'm not even kidding, M/M, Morning Talk, Pillow Talk, i guess?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-06
Updated: 2015-12-06
Packaged: 2018-05-05 02:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5357111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/niklitera/pseuds/niklitera
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jacob wakes up and, for the very first time, feels like he's done something right.</p><p>(Or, the one fic where Jacob cuddles Ned in his own bed and Ned actually lets him.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Though I Have Closed Myself As Fingers

**Author's Note:**

> Well. Last night sucked. I know you guys seemed to like it but I feel I could've done it a little bit better. So I've put a bit of a while into this chapter to make it especially good. Hope you find it as fluffy as you want it to be.

When Jacob awoke, at first he thought that something was wrong, because Evie hadn't thrown him off the bed.

He blinked, trying to push away the sleep from his eyes and remember what had happened the previous night. It was only when Ned shifted and hummed a little in his sleep that his stomach did a funny little jump worth of a circus performance that he realized no, it had not been a dream. He couldn't help the little fascinated look he gave to the slighter man, burrowed close into his bedsheets, mouth just a little open and a relaxed expression upon his features. He hadn't ever seen him so calm, seen him so unburdened. He ignored the grim thoughts that tried to pour in as he remembered last night, instead choosing to tighten the arm that was already around Ned's soft little waist, pulling him closer to his body.

He was no longer trembling, no longer cold, and two soft mounds pressed against his chest when the few inches between them ceased to exist. He hesitated at that, because he knew Ned would probably panic if he were awake. Instead, Ned was asleep and he closed his mouth, his brow furrowed for the little seconds he took to put his cheek over Jacob's shoulder until it smoothed out when he stopped moving. He raised his arm, trying not to disturb the thief as he brushed the back of his hand against the soft skin of his cheek.

Was it strange to blame someone for one's peace of mind? Blame seemed like a negative word, one that belonged to things like family, like his father. He blamed Evie for things she wasn't responsible of sometimes, just like she did with him. Like father had done with them quite a lot. Now he blamed Ned for feeling much lighter than he ever had before. There was no longer the pressure of whether this was right, whether he was something that wasn't supposed to exist because Ned felt it, too, and it felt too good to touch him and have him smile and sigh and not cringe. Jacob seemed to have learned from the people he feared the worst and hated the most instead of taking things as they were without any other complication.

And then  _last night._ He felt his mouth going dry at the remembrance of it, the vulnerability in which Ned had presented himself. Wearing his clothes, too big on him, making him look like a child without his suit and his coat and hat and spectacles. And he'd come to him, to Jacob, and perhaps he knew why or perhaps he didn't - the only clear thing in mind had been taking care of the little thief before anything else.

And now that he was asleep, that Jacob was awake and everything was still covered in curtains where light was filtered, he took the time to think over what on Earth had truly happened.

Had it - had it started before he realized it? Had Ned began to trust him and he hadn't even noticed until he had an arm around him and was saving him from a three floor fall? Well, he knew he'd been busy, cleaning up the streets and trying to understand everything that was truly going on beneath the surface of erratic London. But Ned was important, after all. 

"You're staring at me."

"Good morning," Jacob replied, grinning a little and wondering if it was him or Ned's voice was incredibly distracting when it was hoarse and unused. "How do you feel?"

"Like I'm inside the engine of this train," the American groaned, pushing the sheets away from him slightly. "Christ, Frye, you're a fucking furnace."

"You did not complain last night," Jacob teased.

"If I was awake I would break your goddamn nose for that," Ned gave out a yawn and damn it if it wasn't the cutest thing Jacob had ever seen. "What time is it?"

"I don't know," Jacob sighed, still watching him.

"Well, I need to know," the American snapped, rolling his eyes slightly.

Hell, he could get used to this every morning. Waking up pleasantly next to another body, especially if it was Ned's. Small, frail yet strong and adorably grumpy. His hair was everywhere, curlier than ever, his eyelids drooped and his body pressed snugly against his own. Jacob's grip on him tightened and, today, he decided that he wouldn't give two shits about anything.

"Let's sleep in," he said, then prompty closed his eyes, turned so his back was flat on the mattress and pulled on Ned's arm to dape him across his bare chest, smiling wide.

"What the - Frye, I can't sleep in! I've got business to attend to!" Ned attempted to escape his embrace but Jacob held on, making sure not to touch any unsavory places that might really land him a punch this time. Ned's waist and thin wrists were distracting, too, though. 

"I'm sure you can take a day off," the assassin mumbled.

"Is Starrick going to?" was the reply he got.

"Don't know, don't care," Jacob yawned, his jaw snapping closed before he dropped a kiss against Ned's cheek, making some sort of mix between a whine and a growl escape the enterpreteur's throat. "And if something had happened, Evie would have called me."

"I have things to do, Frye," Ned groaned, dropping his head on his shoulder. Jacob supressed a shiver as Ned's lips graced his tattoo. "I... I would love to stay in bed all day, but I really can't."

"Why?" his fingers began to trace the skin exposed on the small of his back idly, making little circles and symbols. Ned did not complain, and he didn't tense up either - in fact, he seemed to relax against him. "I'm sure that a single day will be alright, Ned. Come on. We'll eat something and take the day off. Have no one interrupt us."

"That sounds lazy," Jacob could feel his grin against his shoulder. "And... very tempting, too."

"Then get your gigglemug out of my neck and let's get something to eat. I'm proper straved," the assassin lifted their covers, and it was then that Ned seemed to start to shrink. At first Jacob thought of reassuring him, of gently reminding him that he was okay. Instead, he laughed, "Just so you know, you ridiculous man, I've seen blokes with bigger knockers than you."

Ned's eyes snapped to him, his jaw dropping in utter surprise at the statement. Jacob merely kept laughing, and it was then that Ned followed, a little trail of giggles and a shake of his head confirming that yes, Jacob had done the right thing. And sure, pulling Ned out of bed was a bit of work as well as getting him to stop trying to crush his chest with his arms, but he did it. And of course it was hard to get him to eat more than a bird's share of breakfast, complaining that it was about health, about his health, that Jacob cared. But it all worked out, he actually _did_ it. And he had the urge to look up to the sky and give a little smirk. Just a little one. A challenge of, 'Thought I was a bloody nobody, didn't you? Well, I'm doing something right.'

"I haven't been this stuffed since the last time I celebrated Christmas," Ned groaned, pulling Jacob out of his thoughts.

In his hand he still had the note Evie had left, where she spoke of something or other she had to do with Henry, and that after the disaster that was last night's Fight Club brawl. At the remembrance, Jacob thought of the big bruise present on the back of his right thigh.

"You should eat more," he stated, bringing his cup of tea to his lips and taking one last sip. "That's going to put you in a lot of trouble. You could catch anything - Christ, you could've died yesterday of hypothermia."

"I'm fine," Ned glared. "And are we seriously going to do nothing all day?"

"Yes," Jacob substituded his frown for a devious little grin. "Just us. In this train alone. All day."

"You make it sound like you're planning to kill me, Frye," Ned cocked an eyebrow. "I'll let you know: assassination attempts on me never work out."

"Oh?" the youngest twin questioned silently.

"Last time someone tried, they lost their hand," the American leaned back against his chair, a smirk playing on his lips.

Did he even know how delicious he looked? All mussed up, a drop of coffee still shinning on his plump lips, eyes glinting with mischief and a sort of relaxed happiness engraved on his untensed shoulders. Thinking this all awfully domestic, Jacob suddenly adopted a very soft smile, sighing at the thought. Yeah. Domestic alright.

"What's your favorite color?" he asked, and Ned's eyebrows lowered. 

"Why do you wanna know?" he returned.

"I don't know, I just do," Jacob shrugged.

"It's orange, if you must know," Ned sighed, rolling his eyes. "Why would you be interested in that? What's yours, anyway?"

"I like red," Jacob stretched like a cat, and did not miss the appreciative look on Ned's eyes as he roamed them through his naked chest. Something primal in him sweeled with pride. "The deep red of blood."

"How morose," Ned chuckled.

"And season?" Jacob leaned towards him, and instead of another roll of eyes, Ned granted him a little beam, almost shy in nature, as if he knew something Jacob didn't.

"Summer," he responded.

"I should've guessed you'd be a summer kind of bloke," Jacob looked at the window and wondered how Evie had managed to get every single Rook out of the train. It seemed almost imssible most of the time to be here, in this little train, alone, but he always managed to do som and with Ned. It felt like a blessing. "So what do you say we go back to bed?"

"You're just hoping for me to hug you again," Ned threw him a piece of biscuit like a child, making Jacob laugh and duck it easily - years of assassin training could do that. "You truly do love it, don't you?"

"It's easy to love it when you're so loveable," he dared to lift a hand and flick his chin, leaving Ned glaring at him after slapping his hand away. "Would you finally let me get you to bed if I promised you a back rub?"

"Are you trying to seduce me, Frye?" Ned laughed, deeming the idea ridiculous until Jacob suddenly crossed his arms and leaned back on his chair, giving him a cheeky grin. "Frye, that's not funny."

"Oh, come on, Ned!" Jacob scoffed, his heart beating frantically at the thought that he could really fucking screw this up but incapable of stopping now. "Like you haven't thought about it?"

"Thought about what?" he was starting to adopt a strangely defensive position, so Jacob turned away from him, cursing internally at his impulsive behavior. And his cock, too. For good measure. "You and I?"

"I thought I had made it pretty obvious," Jacob pulled on his ear. "I... well, I know not everyone who is into men is going to be into me, so I understand. Friendship is great. Friends. Friendly friends. Buddies, as you Americans say, right?"

He was babbling now, trying to save himself from the emotional disaster this was about to become. Ned just kept staring at him, brow furrowed and mouth slightly parted. He couldn't believe himself - he'd been doing fine until he had to let out how he felt. It... it had onyl seemed like the right progression of this, whatever it was now that he had fucked it up, and Jacob hadn't been able to help himself.

"You like me?" Ned sat straighter on his chair, as if he was now able to wrap his head around what was going on. Jacob, much to his embarrassment, flushed. "You...  _fancy..._ me?"

"Well," Jacob had the urge to run. To bolt out of there. "Yes."

"But you are into men," Ned seemed so confused. "I'm - I don't have the body -"

"But you're still a man," Jacob shook his head. "Ned, you're a man. And I fancy you. I care about you, I thought I had made my opinion on this very clear."

"Do you even realize what you're saying?" Ned spat out, suddenly, and Jacob bristled, about to retort when Ned stood furiously. "I am a man inside a woman's body, Jacob! I will panic a lot, become hysterical! I will push you away, say terrible things, and you'll have to put up with me for a long damn time!"

"I wouldn't want anything else in any other way," Jacob stood, too.

"You don't know what you're saying," it wasn't anger, he realized, when Ned turned his hands to fists. It was frustration. Jacob dared to take a step closer and lift his own hand to Ned's shoulder. 

"Let me help you," Jacob pleaded. "Let me... let me make you see that you can get whatever you want, Ned. The world isn't as dark as you see it, and I get it. I get that it's easier to hide and be angry and bitter instead of fighting to see the good in it. I've done that. But I'm not ashamed of myself anymore. I've changed."

"How?" Ned asked hoarsely. 

"I met you," Jacob smiled.

Ned stared at him for a while. Jacob did not mind, holding back his gaze with unwavering strength and fingers gentle against Ned's stiff shoulders. And perhaps Ned wouldn't speak to him ever again, and perhaps he did and their friendship grew into something more that he dared not even think of, but Jacob would never take back all the time and the dedication he'd spent on Ned, helping him and laughing with him. He was about to voice as much when Ned spoke.

"I fucking hate you."

And he kissed him.

Jacob stumbled a little, eyes wide and arms flailing until they landed on the wall of the wagon, palms against the deep red wallpaper. It was a furious press of lips, Ned's frustration and slight relief poured into it. Jacob about lost his mind when the little thief tangled his fingers in his hair and pulled him even lower, to his level. Then he truly lost it and he shut his eyes, groaning a little only to run the tip of his tongue through the seam of Ned's lips, making him jump a little. There was hesitation there, so Jacob was quick to wrap his arms around his small waist and press them together tightly, savoring every little thing about it all. The smell, the taste, the sounds Ned was making until they parted with a gasp for air.

"Bloody hell," Jacob rasped. "Was that panicking?"

"No," Ned cleared his throat after his voice cracked a little. His fingers were still on Jacob's thick hair. "No, that wasn't panicking."

"Good, because that really lifted my hopes up," Jacob chuckled, knocking his forehead very softly against Ned's.

"Are you still up to doing nothing all day?" the enterpeteur let his hands fall to the back of his neck. Jacob was trying very hard to focus. "I - I don't think I can do more than this but... I think I could use a hug or two."

"Yes," Jacob was already nodding before he finished, "Yes, yes, we can do whatever you want."

"Are you always going to be this compliant after I kiss you?" Ned laughed, and the sound was music to Jacob's ears, who couldn't truly believe this was actually happening.

"If that gets you to kiss me again..." he teased.

"Good try, Jacob," Ned did kiss him again, a soft little peck. "Good try."


End file.
